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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. season — of the year
  3. wound — an injury
  4. sharp — clever
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — the underground
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. can — a tin
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. tube — a container
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. tube — in a tire

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