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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: prune · dip · fan · track · hide · pass · bulb · straw

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. prune — to trim
  3. track — to keep track
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. track — a path
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. pass — a permit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. track — a song
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. prune — to trim
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bulb — of a plant

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