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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spell — letters
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — happy
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. content — the amount
  13. charge — in control
  14. spell — magic
  15. charge — a price
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — a short time
  18. prune — to trim
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. prune — to trim
  24. charge — electricity

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