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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spring — of water
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. spring — a coil
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bulb — for light
  24. fall — the season

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