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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.

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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: bulb · file · mark · ball · saw · prune · fall · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mark — a trace
  8. file — a line of people
  9. ball — a dance
  10. fall — the season
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pop — music
  24. prune — the fruit

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