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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. track — a path
  4. spring — of water
  5. track — a song
  6. land — a country
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — the season
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. land — ground
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. land — to come down
  19. foot — a measure
  20. suit — in cards
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. trunk — of a tree

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