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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. race — the arms race
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — for sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. court — of law
  17. lie — to recline
  18. race — humankind
  19. prune — to trim
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. race — a contest
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. file — a document
  24. prune — the fruit

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