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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. snap — to click
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — for light
  17. band — a ring
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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