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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: tear · saw · land · pitch · chair · current · suit · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tear — to rip
  3. current — electric
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — to come down
  11. suit — to fit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. suit — in cards
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitch — completely
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bulb — for light
  21. current — happening now
  22. suit — clothes
  23. land — a country
  24. current — of water

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