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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bulb — for light
  6. deal — to handle
  7. degree — an amount
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fall — the season
  11. content — the amount
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. file — a document
  17. degree — temperature
  18. file — a tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. content — happy
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. deal — an agreement
  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