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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: club · hide · dip · present · bulb · fork · tear · march

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — for golf
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. tear — to rip
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fork — in a road
  11. dip — to sink
  12. club — for dancing
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. club — a group
  17. march — the month
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. present — a gift
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. dip — to dunk

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