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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. root — of a word
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — to be able to
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. file — a document
  10. root — the cause
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bulb — for light
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bulb — for light
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — of a plant
  21. press — to push
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — a tin
  24. dip — a sauce

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