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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. dip — to sink
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. spring — of water
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. squash — the sport
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rash — a series
  15. spring — the season
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rush — hurry
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bulb — for light

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