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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. swing — music
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. cold — an illness
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. bass — low music
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bass — the fish
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bulb — for light
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bass — the instrument

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