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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fall — the season
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fall — to drop

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