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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: drill · wax · bulb · bat · deal · foot · race · stem

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. race — a contest
  3. foot — a measure
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bulb — for light
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — to handle
  18. race — humankind
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bulb — for light
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. stem — a stem cell

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