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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 120 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. key — the most important part
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spring — the season
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pitch — completely
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. key — in music
  17. bulb — for light
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. branch — a division
  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