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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 124 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: bulb · shower · pit · pop · perch · key · spell · stem

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — magic
  8. key — in music
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stem — to come from
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — for a bird

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