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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a tool
  3. object — a thing
  4. race — the arms race
  5. band — a ring
  6. season — in sport
  7. fine — all right
  8. file — a document
  9. band — a music group
  10. rock — music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bulb — for light
  13. race — humankind
  14. season — of the year
  15. object — to protest
  16. race — a contest
  17. bulb — for light
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. object — an aim
  24. rock — a stone

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