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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. spring — a coil
  4. land — to come down
  5. spring — the season
  6. cap — a hat
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bulb — for light
  12. spring — of water
  13. charge — in control
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cap — a lid
  16. kick — in football
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — of ice
  20. file — a tool
  21. charge — a price
  22. file — a document
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. land — ground

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