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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  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. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. mine — for digging
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a list
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. roll — a cake
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. branch — a division
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — in a road
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. spell — letters
  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