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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. bulb — for light
  5. present — there
  6. bear — the animal
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — the time now
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. degree — from a university
  17. degree — an amount
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bear — the animal
  21. row — a line
  22. present — a gift
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bear — to put up with

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