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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. present — a gift
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. present — there
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. present — the time now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. board — a committee
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mate — to breed
  19. board — to get on
  20. mate — a friend
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bulb — for light

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