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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. spring — of water
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — a container
  22. last — to go on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cap — of ice

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