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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bound — certain
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a partner
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — tied together
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rash — a series
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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