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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: tear · game · club · bulb · plane · bat · prune · content

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. club — a group
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bulb — for light
  9. tear — to rip
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. content — happy
  13. prune — to trim
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. club — for dancing
  18. tear — from crying
  19. plane — a tool
  20. club — for golf
  21. content — the amount
  22. bulb — for light
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. tear — from crying

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