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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. ground — a position
  7. bear — the animal
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — to sink
  12. charge — in control
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. charge — a price
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ground — crushed
  19. ground — the earth
  20. file — a document
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. file — a line of people

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