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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · stem · pop · ground · shower · bulb

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pop — to visit
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. shower — to wash
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stem — to come from
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pop — music
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bulb — for light
  16. ground — a position
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bulb — of a plant

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