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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — for sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. shower — to wash
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — a subject
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. field — farmland
  24. nail — for a hammer

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