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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spring — of water
  5. game — a match
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — the season
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — thin
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ground — a position
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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