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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. snap — to click
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. capital — a city
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. capital — money
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — a trail

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