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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — for sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. field — a subject
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. craft — a skill
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. field — farmland
  18. craft — boats
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bulb — for light

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