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

Word bank: bulb · object · rash · kick · track · perch · tear · cold

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. track — a path
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. tear — to rip
  7. object — to protest
  8. rash — hasty
  9. track — to keep track
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cold — an illness
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. track — a song
  15. rash — a series
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. kick — in football
  20. object — an aim
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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