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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — of ice
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a match
  15. stem — to come from
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wake — a trail
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rock — to move gently

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