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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fall — the season
  3. land — to come down
  4. bulb — for light
  5. spell — letters
  6. fall — to drop
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bulb — for light
  11. cue — a signal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — ground
  14. cue — for pool
  15. land — a country
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fall — to drop

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