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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: cue · hand · bulb · march · club · kid · dip · spell

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cue — a signal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cue — a hint
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. club — a group
  13. spell — letters
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — child
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. march — the month
  18. hand — help
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. march — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — magic

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