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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bulb — for light
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. file — a line of people
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — to come from
  18. file — a document
  19. bulb — for light
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — a trail
  24. mate — a partner

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