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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pit — in a race
  5. march — music
  6. object — a thing
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. object — to protest
  11. prune — to trim
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. object — an aim
  15. cell — in biology
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cell — a phone
  23. prune — to trim
  24. march — the month

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