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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bank — of a river
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. ball — a dance
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. ball — a great time
  12. file — a tool
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bank — for money
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to click
  23. bulb — for light
  24. file — a document

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