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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: cabinet · last · bulb · ruler · prune · content · deal · game

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. last — final
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. content — happy
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bulb — for light
  13. prune — to trim
  14. last — to go on
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. content — the amount
  19. game — a match
  20. last — finally
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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