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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. band — a music group
  4. land — a country
  5. bulb — for light
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. rush — hurry
  10. saw — the tool
  11. face — to confront
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. land — ground
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bark — to shout
  19. dip — to sink
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. band — a ring

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