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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bound — obliged
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bound — tied together
  11. row — a line
  12. bound — certain
  13. pop — to visit
  14. vault — a safe
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — music
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a ring
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a music group
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bulb — for light

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