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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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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: rash · court · land · wave · kid · bulb · spell · object

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. object — an aim
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. land — to come down
  8. bulb — for light
  9. kid — child
  10. land — a country
  11. court — for sport
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. court — of a king
  16. rash — a series
  17. land — ground
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. object — to protest
  21. spell — magic
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. spell — a short time
  24. court — of law

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