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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cell — in biology
  4. field — farmland
  5. file — a tool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. file — a line of people
  8. field — a subject
  9. spell — magic
  10. field — for sport
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. tube — a container
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spell — letters
  18. can — a tin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. stem — to come from
  24. file — a document

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