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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. scale — in music
  4. cue — a signal
  5. spring — the season
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. cue — for pool
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cue — a hint
  12. spring — of water
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. scale — size or range
  15. present — there
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — for digging
  19. deal — to handle
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. present — a gift
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bulb — of a plant

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