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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 124 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. bank — for money
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. capital — a city
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bank — of a river
  12. shower — to wash
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rash — a series
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rash — hasty
  17. capital — money
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. bank — for money
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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