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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bear — the animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bulb — for light
  10. key — for a lock
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — in biology
  18. file — a line of people
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. file — a document
  24. nail — for a hammer

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