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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: ball · content · land · cue · trunk · mate · bulb · tear

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cue — for pool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. land — ground
  5. bulb — for light
  6. land — to come down
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. content — the amount
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cue — a signal
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — a friend
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — a country
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bulb — for light

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