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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rock — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stock — goods
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lie — to recline
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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