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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: foot · mark · cue · bulb · bear · hand · mine · roll

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. mark — a grade
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. hand — help
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. roll — a list
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. foot — a measure

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