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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 124 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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. swing — in golf
  3. lean — to bend
  4. foot — a measure
  5. vault — a safe
  6. swing — to play on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. march — music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bore — to drill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — music
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lean — thin
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — the bottom

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