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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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  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. lean — thin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pop — soda
  9. kid — child
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. object — a thing
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. object — to protest
  15. pop — to visit
  16. object — an aim
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lean — to bend
  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