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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. stem — to come from
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — in cards
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. face — to confront
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pitcher — a jug

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