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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pass — a permit
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. spell — letters
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cap — a hat
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — shares
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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