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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. land — ground
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. land — a country
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a hole
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pit — in a race
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. land — to come down
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — boats
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. craft — a skill
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. plane — a tool

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