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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — the season
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — of a river
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. cold — not warm
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bank — for money
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. spring — a coil
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bank — for money
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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