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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — the season
  5. race — humankind
  6. bulb — for light
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. staff — employees
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. staff — employees
  11. race — a contest
  12. staff — a stick
  13. deal — to handle
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — of water
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spring — a coil

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