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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: wave · bulb · kid · hide · content · ground · stick · land

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. land — a country
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. content — happy
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. land — ground
  15. kid — child
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. kid — to tease
  22. content — the amount
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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