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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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rash — a series
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — final
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bound — certain
  11. saw — the tool
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — a trace
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. last — to go on
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. rash — hasty

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