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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mug — a cup
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bass — the fish
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. root — of a word
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mug — a face
  16. root — the cause
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. leaves — of a tree

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