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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
468
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: fan · bowl · mine · rock · fall · bulb · trunk · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — the season
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rock — a stone
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. tear — from crying

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