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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — for light
  7. object — to protest
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. capital — money
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — for digging
  12. perch — the fish
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. band — a music group
  17. object — a thing
  18. wax — to grow
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. band — a ring
  23. bulb — for light
  24. object — an aim

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