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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — to handle
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spring — the season
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spring — a coil
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kid — to tease
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spring — of water
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. straw — dry grass

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