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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. present — there
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. prune — to trim
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bank — for money
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. ground — the earth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. present — a gift
  18. swing — music
  19. present — the time now
  20. bank — for money
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bank — of a river
  24. patient — a sick person

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