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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 120 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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. object — an aim
  9. object — a thing
  10. hand — help
  11. prune — to trim
  12. object — to protest
  13. hand — in cards
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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