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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rock — music
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. object — an aim
  6. perch — the fish
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. capital — money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. object — to protest
  19. snap — to click
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. perch — for a bird

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