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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: snap · bulb · fork · object · patient · track · lean · tear

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. track — to keep track
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. tear — from crying
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — a thing
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. snap — to click
  11. object — to protest
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bulb — for light
  18. object — an aim
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. tear — to rip

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