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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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. field — farmland
  9. content — happy
  10. field — a subject
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bulb — for light
  13. field — for sport
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. prune — to trim
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. squash — the sport
  19. roll — a cake
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — the amount
  24. roll — a list

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