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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. current — of water
  7. saw — the tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tear — from crying
  14. current — electric
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. current — happening now
  24. saw — the tool

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