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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bound — certain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — a lid
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. march — the month
  12. cap — of ice
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. march — music
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cue — for pool
  17. march — the month
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bound — obliged
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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