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

Word bank: toast · snap · tear · wound · suit · mouse · bulb · land

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — in cards
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. suit — clothes
  17. toast — bread
  18. land — a country
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. snap — to click
  22. land — to come down
  23. tear — from crying
  24. land — ground

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