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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stock — shares
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bound — certain
  8. spring — the season
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. spring — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — a coil
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stock — goods
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bulb — of a plant

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