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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. stem — to come from
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. spring — of water
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spring — the season
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. scale — in music

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