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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bulb — for light
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bear — the animal
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. race — a contest
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. race — humankind
  17. season — in sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. perch — the fish
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pound — to hit hard

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