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

Word bank: bulb · tear · pit · lash · mate · drill · spell · wave

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mate — a friend
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pit — a hole
  6. tear — to rip
  7. drill — a practice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. spell — magic
  11. mate — to breed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — army training
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. spell — letters
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mate — a partner

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