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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: fan · present · saw · hide · foot · stick · bulb · tear

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. tear — from crying
  3. present — a gift
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — to rip
  14. saw — the tool
  15. present — the time now
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. present — there
  24. tear — from crying

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