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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. current — happening now
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. current — of water
  10. file — a document
  11. spring — a coil
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. current — electric
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spring — the season
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. spring — of water
  22. file — a tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wound — an injury

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