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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bulb — for light
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. prune — to trim
  9. season — of the year
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. mug — a face
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mug — a cup
  20. court — for sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — to come from

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