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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: tear · pit · rash · bulb · rock · club · bear · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rock — music
  3. club — for golf
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. rock — a stone
  15. club — for dancing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. club — a group
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rash — a series
  24. cold — not warm

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