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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. land — to come down
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bulb — for light
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bark — to shout
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. pit — a hole
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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