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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — thin
  3. last — to go on
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. lean — to bend
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — for golf
  8. last — final
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. club — a group
  14. tube — a container
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chair — a leader
  19. tube — the underground
  20. scale — size or range
  21. last — finally
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bat — in an idiom

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