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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. prune — to trim
  3. degree — temperature
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bulb — for light
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. degree — an amount
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mine — belonging to me

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