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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kid — to tease
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. scale — in music
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. current — happening now
  17. kid — child
  18. current — of water
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. current — electric
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. file — a document
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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