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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · game · rest · bulb · rush · mine · pitcher · object

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a match
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — an injury
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bulb — for light
  16. object — a thing
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rest — what's left
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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