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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 120 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 · saw · kick · pop · bark · dip · cell · nail

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — a phone
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pop — to visit
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pop — music
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — soda
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kick — in football
  24. cell — in biology

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