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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — government
  5. season — of the year
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — a position
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. bat — the animal
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. bulb — for light
  18. rule — a law
  19. ground — crushed
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. rock — a stone
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rock — to move gently

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