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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: pit · bulb · racket · stem · straw · lash · mine · content

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — to come from
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. content — the amount
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — for digging
  14. content — happy
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mine — an explosive

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