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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. perch — the fish
  7. content — the amount
  8. clip — a video
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. content — happy
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — to trim
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. clip — to cut
  18. bulb — for light
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bore — to tire
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pit — in a race

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