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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bulb — for light
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — a leader
  6. tube — a container
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. kid — child
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. bulb — for light
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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