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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. tube — a container
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. face — to confront
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. saw — the tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. rock — music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. bulb — for light
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stem — of a plant
  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