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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. tube — a container
  3. squash — to crush
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — of the year
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bark — to shout
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mug — to rob
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. club — for golf
  17. mug — a face
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — the sport
  21. mug — a cup
  22. club — a group
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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