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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — the fish
  3. current — electric
  4. mug — a face
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. capital — a city
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mug — a cup
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. capital — money
  15. current — happening now
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mug — to rob
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. capital — a big letter

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