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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: rest · cell · fork · bulb · hide · wave

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — a break
  10. fork — in a road
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cell — in biology
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fork — a garden tool

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