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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pound — a weight
  3. band — a music group
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. mate — a friend
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. rash — a series
  23. lie — to recline
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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