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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 108 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. game — a match
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. swing — music
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — wild animals
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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