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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. stem — to come from
  3. ball — a dance
  4. foot — a measure
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ball — a great time
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mark — a grade
  24. stem — a stem cell

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