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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. mate — a friend
  13. charge — in control
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stem — to come from
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. present — the time now
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. present — there

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