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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. toast — bread
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. lie — to recline
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — for digging
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bulb — for light

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