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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bank — of a river
  3. roll — a list
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bank — for money
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bank — for money
  15. bulb — for light
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. band — a ring
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mate — to breed
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bat — for baseball

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