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

Word bank: cell · bulb · season · game · stem · rule · cap · deal

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cell — a phone
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cell — in biology
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. season — in sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. season — of the year
  18. cap — of ice
  19. game — a match
  20. rule — government
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rule — a law
  24. cap — a hat

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