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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wound — an injury
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — of water
  7. bulb — for light
  8. shower — rain
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mug — a face
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chest — a box
  17. spring — the season
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mug — to rob
  21. bound — certain
  22. craft — a skill
  23. spring — a coil
  24. craft — boats

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