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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pound — a weight
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. club — for dancing
  6. press — a publisher
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. club — a group
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. club — for golf
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. row — a line
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. press — to push
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. press — newspapers
  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