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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bark — to shout
  6. toast — bread
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. press — newspapers
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — to push
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. date — the fruit

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