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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: foot · last · saw · wound · spring · race · pop · bulb

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spring — the season
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pop — soda
  8. spring — a coil
  9. wound — an injury
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. last — final
  12. wound — an injury
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. spring — of water
  16. last — finally
  17. foot — a measure
  18. race — the arms race
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — to visit
  23. last — to go on
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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