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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. suit — clothes
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. fine — high quality
  8. club — for golf
  9. suit — in cards
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. suit — to fit
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bulb — for light
  16. file — a tool
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. file — a document
  19. fine — all right
  20. file — a line of people
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. dip — to sink
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. fine — a penalty

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