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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. degree — an amount
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. degree — temperature
  15. cap — a hat
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. degree — from a university
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cap — of ice

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