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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — a coil
  11. club — a group
  12. mark — a grade
  13. spring — the season
  14. club — for golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wake — a trail
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — a break

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