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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spring — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. spring — of water
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bass — low music
  23. cold — an illness
  24. hand — help

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