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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mug — to rob
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — to come down
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. land — ground
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — a cup
  19. snap — to click
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mug — a face
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. land — a country

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