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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 120 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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. charge — a price
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — of water
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a hole
  10. scale — size or range
  11. shower — rain
  12. fall — to drop
  13. scale — in music
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — to wash
  19. charge — in control
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. fall — the season
  24. charge — electricity

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