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

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. drill — army training
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — of law
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. band — a music group
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — for sport
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. court — of a king
  18. band — a ring
  19. bulb — for light
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — the tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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