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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · present · mug · cue · field · season · bulb · lash

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. field — farmland
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mug — a face
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cue — a signal
  8. season — in sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a cup
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. present — there
  15. bulb — for light
  16. present — the time now
  17. tear — to rip
  18. bulb — for light
  19. present — a gift
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. season — of the year
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. cue — a hint

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