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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. row — a line
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lean — thin
  18. rash — a series
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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