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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bound — obliged
  4. track — a song
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — tied together
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — to keep track
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. pit — in a race
  12. sharp — clever
  13. land — a country
  14. stem — to come from
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — a path
  19. land — to come down
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bound — certain
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bulb — of a plant

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