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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — to come from
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. cold — an illness
  11. season — in sport
  12. cold — not warm
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pit — in a race
  16. bulb — for light
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. mate — a partner
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — to breed
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pit — a hole
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. swing — in golf

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