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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bulb — for light
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mine — for digging
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. tube — a container
  22. bulb — for light
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. deal — an agreement

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