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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wound — an injury
  8. root — of a word
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. swing — to play on
  11. field — a subject
  12. swing — music
  13. field — for sport
  14. vault — a safe
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. swing — in golf
  17. root — of a plant
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — the cause
  24. field — farmland

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