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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: present · roll · object · bear · bulb · hand · cold · mark

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bulb — for light
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cold — not warm
  9. present — the time now
  10. object — to protest
  11. mark — a trace
  12. hand — help
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bulb — for light
  18. present — there
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — an aim
  21. roll — a list
  22. bear — the animal
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a cake

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