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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — to wash
  3. content — happy
  4. pop — soda
  5. staff — employees
  6. bulb — for light
  7. content — the amount
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pop — music
  15. net — after costs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — rain
  18. net — for catching
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. net — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. content — videos and posts

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