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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 116 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: rock · saw · bowl · cell · bear · bulb · row · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. row — a line
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. rock — music
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cold — not warm
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bear — the animal

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