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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 116 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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — the earth
  9. degree — temperature
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. degree — an amount
  14. ground — a position
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bear — 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