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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. date — the fruit
  14. mine — for digging
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. snap — to click

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