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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spell — magic
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. snap — to click
  9. mate — to breed
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. spell — letters
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mate — a partner
  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