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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. scale — size or range
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pop — to visit
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a music group
  12. pop — music
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — a list
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bulb — for light
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bulb — for light
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pop — soda
  24. pass — a permit

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