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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a great time
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. cap — of ice
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. ball — a dance
  13. prune — to trim
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cap — a hat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mine — an explosive

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