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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — to go on
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bound — obliged
  9. current — happening now
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bound — certain
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — for light

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