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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: bulb · hide · sharp · cap · saw · dip · present · mine

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. present — the time now
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. present — there
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cap — of ice
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. present — a gift
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — a lid
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cap — a hat
  23. dip — to sink
  24. mine — for digging

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