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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bulb — for light
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the sport
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fall — the season
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bound — obliged
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fall — to drop
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. spring — of water
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. foot — the bottom

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