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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. spring — of water
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — to handle
  23. snap — to click
  24. deal — an agreement

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