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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. land — a country
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pop — music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — to come down
  16. suit — to fit
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. land — ground
  19. suit — in cards
  20. deal — to handle
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. hand — help

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