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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. prune — to trim
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pass — a permit
  23. wind — moving air
  24. kick — in football

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