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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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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — after costs
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wind — moving air
  9. net — for catching
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. toast — bread
  13. net — in sport
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bulb — for light
  18. deal — to handle
  19. spring — the season
  20. stem — to come from
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. spring — of water
  24. wind — to turn a key

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