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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. present — the time now
  3. swing — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. swing — to play on
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. lean — thin
  12. cell — a phone
  13. shower — to wash
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bulb — for light
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. plane — a tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. shower — rain
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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