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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. rash — hasty
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. object — a thing
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. object — an aim
  14. drill — army training
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. deal — to handle
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — a series
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. season — of the year
  23. stem — to come from
  24. object — to protest

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