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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. spring — of water
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. foot — a measure
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light

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