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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: row · bulb · pitcher · trunk · tear · degree · fall · suit

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — temperature
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — to drop
  12. suit — clothes
  13. tear — to rip
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. suit — in cards
  16. row — a line
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. suit — to fit
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fall — the season

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