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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — in music
  5. key — the most important part
  6. date — the fruit
  7. field — farmland
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — a division
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. field — a subject
  20. prune — to trim
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — for a lock
  24. dip — a sauce

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