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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fall — the season
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — farmland
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fall — to drop
  18. cap — a lid
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — to drop
  23. mug — a face
  24. cap — of ice

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