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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bulb — for light
  5. stem — to come from
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. prune — to trim
  10. net — in sport
  11. prune — to trim
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. ball — a dance
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bark — to shout
  22. net — for catching
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. ball — a round shape

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