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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — all right
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stock — goods
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bulb — for light
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. season — to add flavour

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