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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 116 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — a face
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mug — to rob
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rest — what's left
  14. snap — to click
  15. drill — the tool
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — magic
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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