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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. degree — an amount
  5. hand — help
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. degree — from a university
  8. cue — for pool
  9. degree — temperature
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cue — a signal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. spring — of water
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cue — a hint
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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