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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pound — a weight
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. prune — to trim
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. sharp — with an edge

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