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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. race — a contest
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ground — a position
  16. club — for golf
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. race — humankind
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. club — a group

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