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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. last — to go on
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rule — a law
  11. bulb — for light
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. hand — help
  18. last — final
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. band — a music group
  22. last — finally
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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