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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bear — the animal
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bulb — for light
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. spell — magic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. snap — to click
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. hand — help
  14. dip — to sink
  15. spell — a short time
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hand — in cards
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. spell — letters

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