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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pop — soda
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pop — music
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mate — a friend
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mate — a partner
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pop — to visit
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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