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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. rush — hurry
  4. present — there
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. present — a gift
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. present — the time now
  24. squash — to crush

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