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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 116 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: court · hide · bulb · stem · deal · bat · cabinet · dip

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — for light
  3. court — for sport
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. dip — to sink
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. court — of a king
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. court — of law
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stem — to come from
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. dip — a sauce

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