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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. bulb — for light
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stem — to come from
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. squash — to crush
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wave — with your hand

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