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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. band — a ring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rule — a law
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hand — in cards
  12. rule — government
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. band — a music group
  18. hand — help
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fall — the season
  24. calf — a young animal

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