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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. can — to be able to
  3. spring — the season
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pop — soda
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. land — ground
  8. hand — help
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spring — of water
  11. land — to come down
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. land — a country
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. can — a tin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — a coil

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