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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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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: fork · cell · mine · foot · rest · mug · fall · bulb

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mug — a face
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mug — to rob
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bulb — for light
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bulb — for light
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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