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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. file — a tool
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bank — of a river
  11. scale — size or range
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bulb — for light
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bank — for money
  18. mate — a friend
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. scale — in music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bank — for money

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