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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wind — moving air
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spring — a coil
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. spring — the season
  18. cue — a hint
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. cue — for pool
  24. cue — a signal

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