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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bulb — for light
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bulb — for light
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — in biology

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