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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. can — a tin
  7. pop — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. court — of law
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pop — soda
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. court — of a king
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stem — to come from
  18. bulb — for light
  19. court — for sport
  20. bound — certain
  21. can — a tin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. can — to be able to

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