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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: cell · tear · chair · drill · bass · bulb

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bass — the fish
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bulb — for light
  9. drill — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. drill — army training
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cell — in biology
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bass — low music
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chair — a professorship

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