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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 120 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: mouse · stick · kick · hand · land · bulb · pit · cabinet

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. hand — help
  5. land — ground
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — in football
  8. land — to come down
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. land — a country
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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