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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cell — a phone
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. land — to come down
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cell — in biology
  10. root — of a word
  11. spell — letters
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fall — the season
  16. land — a country
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — the cause
  20. shower — rain
  21. land — ground
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — to drop
  24. board — a flat piece

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