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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. craft — a skill
  7. cold — not warm
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. craft — boats
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. stem — a stem cell

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