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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — the season
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — boats
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. suit — in cards
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. squash — the vegetable

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