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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. current — of water
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. stock — shares
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stock — goods
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spell — letters
  16. root — of a word
  17. current — electric
  18. current — happening now
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bulb — for light

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