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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — a phone
  3. prune — to trim
  4. mate — a partner
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. stem — to come from
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cell — in biology
  10. prune — to trim
  11. plane — a tool
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bulb — for light
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kick — in football

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