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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bulb — for light
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mug — a face
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. drill — army training
  10. pop — music
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pop — soda
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cold — an illness
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cold — not warm
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mug — a cup

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