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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — to crush
  8. current — of water
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bound — certain
  11. current — electric
  12. bark — to shout
  13. current — happening now
  14. bound — obliged
  15. tube — the underground
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pop — soda
  24. bound — tied together

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