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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: sharp · bulb · cabinet · stick · land · prune · wake · lie

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — to trim
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — a country
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — to come down
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. land — ground
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. prune — to trim
  13. wake — a trail
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. bulb — for light
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. lie — to recline
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. prune — the fruit
  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