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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: temple · cabinet · content · bear · bulb · swing · bark · prune

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — music
  5. content — the amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. bark — to shout
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. content — happy
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cabinet — ministers

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