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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. shower — rain
  3. net — for catching
  4. stem — to come from
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. net — in sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. season — in sport
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. prune — to trim
  13. branch — a division
  14. game — a match
  15. bulb — for light
  16. season — of the year
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. net — after costs
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. shower — to wash

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