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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: trunk · pit · bay · kid · staff · fan · last · bulb

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bulb — for light
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. last — final
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bulb — for light
  9. last — finally
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. pit — in a race
  13. kid — child
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. last — to go on
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. pit — a hole
  20. staff — employees
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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