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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. saw — the tool
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — to sink
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. drill — the tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. staff — employees
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — to turn a key

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