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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. land — to come down
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bore — to drill
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. season — of the year
  23. bore — to tire
  24. trunk — of a tree

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