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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. race — a contest
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — humankind
  10. lean — thin
  11. shower — to wash
  12. race — the arms race
  13. lean — to bend
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. shower — rain
  17. pop — soda
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pop — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wind — moving air

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