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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  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. prune — the fruit
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bulb — for light
  4. field — for sport
  5. pop — music
  6. field — a subject
  7. pop — to visit
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — soda
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mate — a partner
  16. prune — to trim
  17. mate — a friend
  18. field — farmland
  19. bass — low music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bass — the fish
  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