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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. snap — to click
  5. land — ground
  6. season — in sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. root — of a plant
  12. land — to come down
  13. pop — music
  14. land — a country
  15. root — of a word
  16. season — of the year
  17. swing — to play on
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. root — the cause
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. season — to add flavour

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