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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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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: cap · mark · bat · wound · object · saw · bulb · rule

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bulb — for light
  6. object — a thing
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. object — an aim
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cap — of ice
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rule — a law
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cap — a lid
  20. object — to protest
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. saw — the tool

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