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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wound — an injury
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — music
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pop — soda
  16. pit — in a race
  17. court — for sport
  18. row — a line
  19. court — of a king
  20. bulb — for light
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. court — of law
  24. wound — an injury

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