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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wind — moving air
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. season — in sport
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. season — of the year
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. can — to be able to
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. bulb — for light

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