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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 116 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spring — of water
  11. bulb — for light
  12. current — electric
  13. chair — a leader
  14. drill — a practice
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spring — the season
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. drill — the tool
  24. chair — to sit on

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