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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a music group
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. content — the amount
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. content — happy
  17. lean — thin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. lean — to bend
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. band — a ring
  23. chair — a leader
  24. band — a rubber band

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