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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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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 · squash · prune · roll · net · bulb · snap · mark

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — to crush
  5. roll — a list
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. prune — to trim
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bulb — for light
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mark — a trace
  16. net — in sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. roll — a cake
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mark — a grade

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