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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kick — in football
  8. craft — a skill
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wound — an injury
  14. craft — boats
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bulb — for light
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. season — of the year
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stem — 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