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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 124 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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. present — the time now
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pit — a hole
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. race — a contest
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. prune — to trim
  13. race — humankind
  14. present — a gift
  15. wake — a trail
  16. present — there
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bulb — for light
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bat — in an idiom

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