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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. prune — to trim
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. spell — magic
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spell — letters
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — in football
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. file — a document
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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