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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bound — certain
  6. prune — to trim
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — for light
  13. file — a tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bulb — for light
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. roll — a list
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. jam — a tight spot

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