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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ground — crushed
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. mate — to breed
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mate — a friend
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. spring — the season
  15. shower — rain
  16. spring — of water
  17. mate — a partner
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stand — to bear
  23. shower — to wash
  24. safe — out of danger

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