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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. band — a ring
  3. cap — a hat
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cap — a lid
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. kid — child
  11. can — a tin
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — the sport
  14. spring — the season
  15. band — a music group
  16. spring — of water
  17. cap — of ice
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. squash — to crush
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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