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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — a leader
  13. file — a tool
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. tube — a container
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — child
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. file — a document
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — a stem cell

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