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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — a coil
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — the season
  8. pop — soda
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. last — finally
  13. bulb — for light
  14. last — to go on
  15. row — a line
  16. fall — the season
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — music
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pop — to visit

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