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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rock — music
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rock — a stone
  14. tear — to rip
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. tear — from crying
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. mate — a partner
  22. tear — from crying
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mate — a friend

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