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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bulb — for light
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. content — the amount
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bulb — for light
  10. march — music
  11. tear — to rip
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — the month
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — of your body
  17. march — the month
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. chest — a box

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