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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 116 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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bulb — for light
  3. row — a line
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. row — to paddle
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a document
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. file — a tool
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cell — a phone

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