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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: bulb · sharp · tear · chair · roll · land · can · racket

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — ground
  3. roll — a list
  4. land — to come down
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. tear — to rip
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — from crying
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. roll — a cake
  13. sharp — clever
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — to be able to
  17. can — a tin
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chair — a leader
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. land — a country

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