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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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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: mine · deal · lean · wind · land · pit · bulb · lash

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. deal — to handle
  7. land — ground
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bulb — for light
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — thin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — moving air
  23. lean — to bend
  24. land — a country

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