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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. present — the time now
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bulb — for light
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. present — a gift
  17. prune — to trim
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. present — there
  20. plane — a tool
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — an aircraft

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