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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a document
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mine — for digging
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a tool
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ball — a great time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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