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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — to come down
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — a country
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bark — to shout
  24. tube — a container

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