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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bore — to tire
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. bark — to shout
  18. cold — an illness
  19. plane — a tool
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mouse — for a computer

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