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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pop — soda
  4. snap — to click
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mine — for digging
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pop — music
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. wound — an injury
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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