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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 120 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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. chair — a leader
  16. can — a tin
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — the season
  19. can — a tin
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fall — to drop
  24. tear — from crying

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