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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — help
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cue — a hint
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stem — to come from
  12. season — of the year
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. season — in sport
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. degree — temperature
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. degree — from a university
  21. bulb — for light
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stem — a stem cell

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