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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: court · cap · prune · ground · bulb · bay · staff · stem

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bulb — for light
  7. staff — employees
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. ground — the earth
  10. prune — to trim
  11. court — of a king
  12. stem — to come from
  13. court — for sport
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. court — of law
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ground — a position

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