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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. bound — obliged
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bound — certain
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pop — soda
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — happy
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. key — in music
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bulb — for light
  18. key — for a lock
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pop — music
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bulb — for light

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