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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. rock — a stone
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a music group
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a ring
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rock — to move gently

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