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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: pit · deal · spell · bulb · saw · stem · dip · scale

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. deal — to handle
  4. spell — magic
  5. pit — in a race
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. saw — the tool
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pit — a hole
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — size or range
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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