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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. race — a contest
  4. cue — a hint
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. present — the time now
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cue — for pool
  14. race — humankind
  15. row — a line
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cue — a signal
  22. race — the arms race
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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