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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 116 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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. snap — to click
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bulb — for light
  7. spell — magic
  8. prune — to trim
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. court — for sport
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. spell — letters
  14. court — of a king
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cap — a hat
  18. vault — a safe
  19. court — of law
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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