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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: fall · mine · wake · bulb · tear · rash · bay · wind

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fall — the season
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — to turn a key

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