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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — hasty
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — an injury
  5. game — a match
  6. bound — tied together
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rash — a series
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bulb — for light
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. saw — the tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. game — wild animals
  22. branch — a division
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. game — a kind of play

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