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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — to crush
  3. prune — to trim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. staff — employees
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. cap — of ice
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cap — a lid
  19. season — of the year
  20. squash — the sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cap — a hat

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