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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bulb — for light
  4. band — a music group
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. prune — to trim
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mug — to rob
  18. band — a ring
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitcher — a jug

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