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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: chest · hand · court · bulb · object · dip · stand · saw

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. chest — a box
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. stand — to bear
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bulb — for light
  22. dip — to sink
  23. object — an aim
  24. hand — in cards

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