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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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mine — for digging
  5. tube — a container
  6. chest — a box
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. kick — in football
  13. stem — to come from
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. chest — of your body
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. stem — a stem cell

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