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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pop — to visit
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. wound — an injury
  8. land — ground
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. land — a country
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. degree — temperature
  14. pop — music
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pop — soda
  20. degree — an amount
  21. land — to come down
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. degree — from a university
  24. board — a flat piece

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