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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rock — music
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — for paper
  8. ball — a great time
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. file — a tool
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — a video
  20. file — a document
  21. clip — to cut
  22. file — a line of people
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bank — for money

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