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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fall — the season
  3. last — final
  4. staff — a stick
  5. last — finally
  6. bulb — for light
  7. land — a country
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — to go on
  10. staff — employees
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — a coil
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bulb — for light
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. object — an aim
  17. spring — of water
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — to come down
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — ground
  22. object — a thing
  23. spring — the season
  24. bulb — of a plant

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