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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. file — a tool
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. track — to keep track
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. board — a committee
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — to point toward
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. file — a document
  16. bulb — for light
  17. track — a song
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bulb — for light
  20. prune — to trim
  21. board — to get on
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  24. track — a path

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