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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. shower — rain
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cap — a lid
  5. prune — to trim
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. cap — of ice
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bulb — for light
  11. prune — to trim
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. shower — to wash
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. squash — to crush
  16. key — in music
  17. squash — the sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. spring — a coil

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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