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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spell — letters
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pop — to visit
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bulb — for light
  10. spell — magic
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stem — to come from
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pop — music
  18. snap — to click
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pop — soda
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spell — a short time

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