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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bulb — for light
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. track — a path
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spring — of water
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. spring — a coil
  12. field — farmland
  13. wake — a trail
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spring — the season
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. field — a subject
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. track — a song
  21. stem — to come from
  22. field — for sport
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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