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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 · arm · nail · kid · stem · season · fall · spring

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bulb — for light
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — to come from
  6. season — of the year
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. spring — of water
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. kid — child
  16. season — in sport
  17. fall — to drop
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fall — the season
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — the season
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — a coil

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