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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rock — music
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. shower — to wash
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — music
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — a stone

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