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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  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 — for light
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. press — newspapers
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. press — to push
  18. swing — in golf
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. press — a publisher
  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