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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. land — a country
  5. rash — hasty
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bass — low music
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bass — the fish
  19. key — in music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. land — to come down
  22. key — for a lock
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — 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