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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ground — a position
  6. bulb — for light
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ground — crushed
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. pop — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — after costs
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. drill — army training
  22. pop — soda
  23. stem — to come from
  24. drill — a practice

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