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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bass — the fish
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spring — of water
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — the season
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. firm — a company
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bulb — for light
  16. firm — steady
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. snap — to click
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. spring — a coil

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