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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rule — a law
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. cap — a lid
  9. field — farmland
  10. rock — a stone
  11. field — a subject
  12. capital — a city
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — music
  15. rule — government
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bulb — for light
  20. field — for sport
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. capital — money
  24. jam — in traffic

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