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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — for digging
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bank — for money
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. cell — a phone
  14. court — of a king
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in biology
  20. court — for sport
  21. rest — a break
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mine — belonging to me

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