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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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468
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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bear — the animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. land — ground
  12. object — an aim
  13. snap — to click
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — for light
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. land — a country
  20. chest — a box
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. chest — of your body

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