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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. club — a group
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stock — shares
  7. prune — to trim
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. march — music
  10. stock — goods
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. march — the month
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bulb — for light
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. club — for golf
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cap — of ice
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cap — a hat

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