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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. object — a thing
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — ground
  7. object — to protest
  8. season — of the year
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. object — an aim
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — a country
  18. season — in sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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