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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 president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. march — music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. hand — in cards
  15. march — the month
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bulb — for light
  21. hand — help
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. cold — an illness

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