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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. charge — a price
  8. spell — letters
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. current — happening now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. current — of water
  21. current — electric
  22. wind — moving air
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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