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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — for light
  3. present — the time now
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. cap — a lid
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. row — a line
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. present — there
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cap — of ice
  14. spell — magic
  15. row — to paddle
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. present — a gift
  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