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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. content — the amount
  3. bulb — for light
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — in a road
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pop — music
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — a hat
  15. content — happy
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pop — soda
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pop — to visit
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cap — of ice
  24. tear — from crying

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