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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
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: land · bulb · prune · degree · saw · tear · safe · file

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — to come down
  5. file — a document
  6. saw — the tool
  7. land — ground
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bulb — for light
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. file — a line of people
  13. prune — to trim
  14. file — a tool
  15. tear — to rip
  16. land — a country
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. degree — from a university
  23. tear — from crying
  24. safe — out of danger

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