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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · ball · dip · deal · present · bulb · kid · bound

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bound — certain
  5. present — there
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bound — obliged
  8. kid — to tease
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. deal — to handle
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. present — the time now
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. dip — to sink
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. present — a gift

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