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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fine — high quality
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bat — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. craft — boats
  12. snap — to click
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. current — of water
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. spring — the season
  22. staff — employees
  23. current — happening now
  24. fine — all right

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