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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: wind · ball · file · ground · mate · can · dip · bulb

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. mate — to breed
  3. ground — crushed
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — a position
  7. mate — a partner
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. can — a tin
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a document
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bulb — of a plant

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