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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. degree — temperature
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — of the year
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stem — to come from
  13. bulb — for light
  14. season — in sport
  15. degree — from a university
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. degree — an amount
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mine — for digging
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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