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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — a short time
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lean — thin
  15. hand — in cards
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. drill — army training
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. bass — low music
  23. chest — a box
  24. lean — to bend

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