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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. object — to protest
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lean — to bend
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — a thing
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. chest — a box
  22. lean — thin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. lean — to rest against

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