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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. jam — in traffic
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. craft — boats
  7. bulb — for light
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. craft — a skill
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  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