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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — a price
  11. root — of a word
  12. charge — in control
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. root — the cause
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. root — of a plant
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. wind — moving air
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bear — the 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