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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. foot — a measure
  9. prune — to trim
  10. file — a document
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wake — a trail
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bulb — for light
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. foot — part of the body

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