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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 120 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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. stem — to come from
  19. key — in music
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bulb — for light
  24. perch — the fish

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