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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bulb — for light
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. tube — the underground
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tube — a container
  16. bulb — for light
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. squash — the sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. land — a country

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