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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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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: wave · mine · bulb · bark · game · suit · kid · chair

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. suit — clothes
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. suit — in cards
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. game — a match
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bark — to shout
  20. chair — a leader
  21. mine — for digging
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. suit — to fit

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