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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — ground
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. craft — boats
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bulb — for light
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — for light
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. land — to come down
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. prune — to trim

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