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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bulb — for light
  12. swing — in golf
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ball — a great time
  17. field — for sport
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. swing — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — to play on

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