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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. present — there
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — a gift
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. band — a ring
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bulb — for light

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