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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mug — a face
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. object — an aim
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. squash — to crush
  9. club — for dancing
  10. lean — thin
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — a price
  14. mug — to rob
  15. charge — in control
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. club — for golf
  20. mug — a cup
  21. object — to protest
  22. squash — the sport
  23. object — a thing
  24. club — a group

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