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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. club — for dancing
  7. spell — magic
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. club — for golf
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. club — a group
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. spell — a short time
  15. toast — bread
  16. lean — to bend
  17. lean — thin
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spell — letters
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wound — an injury

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