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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — to cut
  6. stock — goods
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. clip — a video
  11. fall — the season
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — shares
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a great time
  17. fall — to drop
  18. ball — a dance
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bear — the animal

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