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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ground — a position
  4. wound — an injury
  5. prune — to trim
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bulb — for light
  12. net — in sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. key — for a lock
  16. net — for catching
  17. wound — an injury
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. key — in music
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stand — to bear

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