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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. prune — to trim
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mine — for digging
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bulb — for light
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. prune — the fruit

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