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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fine — all right
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lie — to recline
  9. tube — a container
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. band — a ring
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. prune — to trim
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. band — a music group
  17. bulb — for light
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wound — an injury
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wound — an injury

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