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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: march · wake · safe · bulb · mouse · spring · bowl · tear

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spring — of water
  8. march — music
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tear — to rip
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — a coil
  21. spring — the season
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. mouse — for a computer

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