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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fall — to drop
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chip — to eat
  10. spell — letters
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fall — the season
  19. spell — magic
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — a series

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