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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — a phone
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rock — music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. rock — a stone
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wound — an injury

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