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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. craft — a skill
  5. track — a song
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. snap — to click
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. track — a path
  11. press — a publisher
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. mine — for digging
  16. press — to push
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. craft — boats
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wound — an injury

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