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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rest — what's left
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rest — a break
  6. land — a country
  7. rest — what's left
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bulb — for light
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lean — thin
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. land — ground
  15. row — a line
  16. row — to paddle
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. saw — the tool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bulb — of a plant

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