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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · cell · mine · bulb · wind · deal

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cell — in biology
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bulb — for light
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — to handle
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cell — a phone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. deal — a big deal

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