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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — the season
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a line
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. object — an aim
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. charge — a price
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. object — to protest
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spring — of water
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. charge — in control
  22. object — a thing
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spring — a coil

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