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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bulb — for light
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pop — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rule — government
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. perch — the fish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. stem — to come from
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pop — to visit
  20. bulb — for light
  21. rule — a law
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pop — soda

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