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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bank — of a river
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. squash — to crush
  10. swing — music
  11. content — the amount
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. squash — the sport
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. content — happy

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