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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bound — certain
  3. court — of a king
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mine — for digging
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. snap — to click
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bulb — of a plant

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