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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. current — happening now
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. ground — a position
  6. spring — of water
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kick — in football
  14. spring — the season
  15. stem — to come from
  16. current — electric
  17. bulb — for light
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. current — of water
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — a thrill

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