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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. staff — employees
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. spring — of water
  7. firm — steady
  8. bulb — for light
  9. spring — the season
  10. staff — employees
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hand — help
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. staff — a stick
  18. saw — the tool
  19. firm — decided
  20. spring — a coil
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. firm — a company
  23. hand — in cards
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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