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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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 — a thrill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — in golf
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for golf
  6. rush — hurry
  7. sharp — clever
  8. swing — music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stem — to come from
  15. root — of a word
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. root — the cause
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. club — for dancing
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. sharp — exactly
  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