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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. band — a music group
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rule — government
  15. craft — a skill
  16. file — a document
  17. tear — from crying
  18. file — a tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. band — a ring
  22. roll — a list
  23. rule — a law
  24. file — a line of people

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