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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. firm — a company
  3. wind — moving air
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wind — moving air
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. content — happy
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. capital — a city
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. firm — steady
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. firm — decided
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. capital — money
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — the amount
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. prune — to trim

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