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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. prune — to trim
  6. saw — the tool
  7. file — a document
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. charge — a price
  11. file — a line of people
  12. charge — in control
  13. prune — to trim
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bat — the animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. snap — to click
  21. bulb — for light
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. charge — electricity
  24. perch — for a bird

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