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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 124 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. field — farmland
  3. spring — of water
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — to cut
  7. spring — the season
  8. vault — a safe
  9. object — a thing
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — for money
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. object — an aim
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. field — for sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. spring — a coil
  20. field — a subject
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. bank — for money
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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