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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. land — a country
  6. charge — in control
  7. bulb — for light
  8. roll — a cake
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. bark — to shout
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wake — a trail
  14. clip — a video
  15. charge — electricity
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. craft — a skill
  19. charge — a price
  20. clip — to cut
  21. land — ground
  22. land — to come down
  23. roll — a list
  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