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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. prune — to trim
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. clip — for paper
  6. toast — bread
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. prune — to trim
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hand — help
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. clip — a video

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