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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 120 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: deal · bulb · rest · wake · object · rock · spring · land

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rock — music
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. object — to protest
  7. rest — a break
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spring — of water
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wake — a trail
  13. object — an aim
  14. rest — what's left
  15. land — a country
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. deal — to handle
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. land — ground
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — a stone
  24. object — a thing

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