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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wound — an injury
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to bend
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. fall — the season
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. lean — thin
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — a cup
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tube — a container
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mug — a face
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pitch — completely

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