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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. club — a group
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. bark — to shout
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. squash — to crush
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. club — for golf
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stem — of a plant

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