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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stock — shares
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bulb — for light
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. stock — goods
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. dip — to sink
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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