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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cap — a hat
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — of ice
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — for light
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. march — the month
  21. cap — a lid
  22. prune — to trim
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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