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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. drill — army training
  5. file — a document
  6. can — to be able to
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. shower — to wash
  9. file — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. can — a tin
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. drill — the tool
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. prune — to trim
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bulb — for light
  22. can — a tin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. drill — a practice

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