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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. shower — rain
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. track — a song
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. prune — to trim
  17. sharp — clever
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cap — a hat
  24. sharp — exactly

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