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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. season — in sport
  5. bulb — for light
  6. season — of the year
  7. key — in music
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. roll — a list
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. object — an aim
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. object — a thing
  20. bulb — for light
  21. key — the most important part
  22. object — to protest
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — to keep track

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