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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spell — letters
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — a trail
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spell — magic
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tube — a container
  15. spell — a short time
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bass — low music
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tear — to rip

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