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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bound — certain
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — a position
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. ground — the earth
  9. spring — of water
  10. suit — clothes
  11. bound — obliged
  12. suit — in cards
  13. spring — the season
  14. bound — tied together
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spring — a coil
  20. stock — goods
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

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