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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: staff · prune · tear · drill · mark · can · ground · bulb

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ground — a position
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ground — the earth
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. drill — army training
  15. staff — employees
  16. mark — a trace
  17. bulb — for light
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mark — a grade
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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