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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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. dip — a sauce
  4. charge — a price
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — for sport
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — in control
  12. field — a subject
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. mate — a partner
  23. field — farmland
  24. wave — of the sea

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