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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — army training
  4. spring — the season
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — a coil
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — clever
  10. spring — of water
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mine — for digging
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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