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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 124 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — the season
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. spring — a coil
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — of water
  8. track — a path
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. track — a song
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. shower — rain
  16. track — to keep track
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bulb — for light
  19. land — to come down
  20. snap — to click
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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