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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · pitcher · fall · safe · bulb · prune · pass · game

  1. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. game — a match
  3. prune — to trim
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. fall — the season
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. fall — to drop
  24. safe — out of danger

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