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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  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. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mate — to breed
  4. bank — for money
  5. shower — rain
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bank — for money
  8. mate — a partner
  9. land — ground
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mate — a friend
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wound — an injury
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bank — of a river
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. land — to come down
  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