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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bank — of a river
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. drill — army training
  12. lean — thin
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mine — for digging
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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