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

Word bank: club · bulb · pound · stick · cell · race

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cell — a phone
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — humankind
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cell — in biology
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — a contest
  18. pound — to hit hard

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