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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tube — the underground
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. squash — to crush
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spring — of water
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mug — a face
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. dip — to dunk

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