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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. tear — from crying
  6. content — happy
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. content — the amount
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — letters
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  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