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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rule — a law
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — to get on
  16. prune — to trim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rule — government
  19. prune — to trim
  20. perch — the fish
  21. board — a committee
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. prune — the fruit

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