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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — rain
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. fork — in a road
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pop — music
  14. charge — a price
  15. bulb — for light
  16. shower — to wash
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pop — soda
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. charge — in control
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. pop — to visit

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