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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. chip — for betting
  6. shower — to wash
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. game — a match
  11. suit — clothes
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. field — for sport
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bulb — for light
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. field — a subject
  19. stem — to come from
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. shower — rain
  23. bulb — for light
  24. suit — to fit

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