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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rash — hasty
  3. current — electric
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stem — to come from
  6. bulb — for light
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. fine — all right
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. current — of water
  14. rash — a series
  15. court — for sport
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. current — happening now
  18. court — of law

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