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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lean — to bend
  3. swing — in golf
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. drill — army training
  6. bulb — for light
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lean — thin
  10. season — in sport
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. season — of the year
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tube — a container
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. swing — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. spell — magic
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. tube — the underground
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spell — a short time

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