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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — a path
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. track — a song
  13. prune — to trim
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. chest — a box
  20. rush — hurry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. hand — help
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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