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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — a container
  10. hand — help
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — the amount
  13. court — of a king
  14. spell — a short time
  15. hand — in cards
  16. tube — the underground
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. content — happy
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — letters
  22. prune — to trim
  23. spell — magic
  24. hand — part of the body

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