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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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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: pop · present · fork · cold · fall · bulb · mouse · kick

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cold — an illness
  3. kick — in football
  4. present — a gift
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — not warm
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fall — the season
  13. present — there
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. present — the time now
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. mouse — the animal

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