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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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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. file — a document
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — a path
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — to be able to
  8. spell — a short time
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — help
  11. spring — the season
  12. spell — letters
  13. file — a tool
  14. spell — magic
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spring — of water
  18. can — a tin
  19. rest — a break
  20. file — a line of people
  21. spring — a coil
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rest — what's left
  24. can — a tin

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