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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. court — of a king
  7. bulb — for light
  8. row — a line
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. court — for sport
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — for light

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