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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stock — goods
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. foot — a measure
  9. stock — shares
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. chair — a leader
  14. band — a ring
  15. band — a music group
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — the bottom

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