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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rest — a break
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. object — a thing
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. object — to protest
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rest — what's left
  15. game — a match
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bulb — for light
  18. object — an aim
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — a kind of play

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