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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — a path
  15. club — for dancing
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cell — in biology
  18. club — a group
  19. spring — a coil
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cell — a phone
  24. club — for golf

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