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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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Word bank
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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: season · fork · mug · snap · staff · lean · bulb · tear

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mug — to rob
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bulb — for light
  8. season — of the year
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tear — to rip
  17. staff — employees
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — in sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. snap — to click
  22. tear — from crying
  23. staff — a stick
  24. fork — in a road

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