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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pit — a hole
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. land — a country
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pass — a permit
  19. mine — for digging
  20. land — ground
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. land — to come down

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