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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 120 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. cell — a phone
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. fall — the season
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cell — in biology
  8. current — electric
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. current — happening now
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bulb — for light
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — of water
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. fall — to drop

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