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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · bulb · mate · pit · field · perch · prune · fan

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pit — in a race
  8. perch — the fish
  9. prune — to trim
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mate — a partner
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. field — for sport
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — to breed
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. bulb — of a plant

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