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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: lash · bass · tear · key · fall · bulb · prune · mine

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. fall — to drop
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bulb — for light
  5. fall — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bass — the fish
  10. prune — to trim
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — to rip
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bass — low music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. mine — for digging
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mine — an explosive

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