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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 116 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: bulb · pitch · kid · wake · land · rock

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. land — to come down
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rock — music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wake — a trail
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bulb — for light
  17. kid — child
  18. pitch — a sales talk

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