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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — a division
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. last — finally
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. spell — magic
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bulb — for light
  13. spell — letters
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bulb — for light
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. spell — a short time
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. last — to go on

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