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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stock — goods
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. lean — thin
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. stock — shares
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ground — a position
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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