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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stock — shares
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. spring — the season
  7. hand — help
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cap — a lid
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cap — of ice
  19. stock — goods
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rash — on the skin

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