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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. spell — a short time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — magic
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — ground
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. land — a country
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bore — to tire
  24. prune — to trim

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