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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. chest — a box
  5. prune — to trim
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lean — thin
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rash — hasty
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. mine — for digging
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mine — belonging to me

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