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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. bulb — for light
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rash — hasty
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rash — a series
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spring — the season
  16. stem — to come from
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — to grow
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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