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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: nail · drill · mine · cell · rush · stem · bulb · straw

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. cell — in biology
  3. drill — army training
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. drill — the tool
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mine — for digging
  20. stem — to come from
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stem — a stem cell

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