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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fall — the season
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bark — to shout
  17. pass — a permit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. stem — to come from
  20. net — for catching
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. fan — a supporter

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