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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — magic
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bulb — for light
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. shower — to wash
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. track — a path
  15. bound — certain
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spell — letters
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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