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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. march — music
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. cell — a phone
  9. swing — in golf
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cell — in biology
  12. squash — the sport
  13. march — the month
  14. bulb — for light
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. march — the month
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. swing — to play on
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stem — to come from
  23. swing — music
  24. bulb — of a plant

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