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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. charge — in control
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stem — to come from
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. swing — to play on
  13. swing — music
  14. band — a ring
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. charge — a price
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. charge — electricity
  22. band — a music group
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. court — of law

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