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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 116 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: content · track · prune · bulb · wake · cabinet · rash · tear

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. track — a song
  3. content — happy
  4. bulb — for light
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. tear — to rip
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wake — a trail
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rash — hasty
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. track — a path
  16. tear — from crying
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — a series
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. prune — to trim
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — for light

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