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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. season — in sport
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. prune — to trim
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bulb — for light
  11. track — a song
  12. season — of the year
  13. fall — to drop
  14. track — to keep track
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. rash — hasty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — a path
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fall — the season
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — a series

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