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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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — for sport
  12. kid — child
  13. rash — a series
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bulb — for light

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