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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. prune — to trim
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. shower — rain
  9. rash — hasty
  10. march — the month
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. prune — to trim
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. march — the month
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. march — music
  20. board — a committee
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — a series
  24. lash — an eyelash

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