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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 120 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. present — the time now
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bulb — for light
  8. swing — in golf
  9. present — a gift
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spell — letters
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. spell — magic
  17. swing — music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tube — a container
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. present — there
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. swing — to play on

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