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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: lie · pit · hand · squash · prune · bulb · leaves · spring

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. hand — help
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. prune — to trim
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. hand — in cards
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. squash — the sport
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. squash — to crush
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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