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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 120 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: cap · present · race · fan · chest · bulb · stick · tear

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. present — there
  3. tear — to rip
  4. present — the time now
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. race — humankind
  8. chest — a box
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. race — a contest
  15. present — a gift
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — for light
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. fan — a supporter

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