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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — finally
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to click
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. last — to go on
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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