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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. root — of a plant
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bulb — for light
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. craft — a skill
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. stem — to come from
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ball — a great time
  17. shower — to wash
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. bulb — for light
  21. craft — boats
  22. shower — rain
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. file — a tool

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