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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.

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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: prune · cold · deal · mark · lie · mouse · straw · bulb

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mark — a grade
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. prune — to trim
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. prune — to trim
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. straw — dry grass
  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