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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. track — a path
  3. bulb — for light
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. perch — the fish
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cold — not warm
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rock — music
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — to keep track
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mug — a face
  19. track — a song
  20. bulb — for light
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cold — an illness

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