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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — of water
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bulb — for light
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pit — in a race
  20. spring — the season
  21. stem — to come from
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. key — the most important part

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