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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. mine — for digging
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. land — a country
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — soda
  15. rash — hasty
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. chair — a leader
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. land — ground

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com