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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stem — to come from
  12. wake — a trail
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cell — a phone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cell — in biology
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. band — a music group
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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