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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bulb — for light
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. file — a line of people
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. band — a ring
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. toast — bread
  10. content — the amount
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. band — a music group
  19. file — a document
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. file — a tool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. content — happy

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