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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. staff — employees
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — there
  6. stem — to come from
  7. band — a ring
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. band — a music group
  10. present — a gift
  11. bulb — for light
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bulb — for light
  14. staff — a stick
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — the time now
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — temperature
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. staff — employees
  21. degree — an amount
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. stem — a stem cell

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