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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. face — to confront
  8. rest — a break
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. root — the cause
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kid — child
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. spring — the season
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — a trail

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