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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: bulb · nail · land · court · stem · tube · mug · file

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. land — to come down
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tube — the underground
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. file — a tool
  8. mug — a face
  9. court — for sport
  10. bulb — for light
  11. file — a line of people
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stem — to come from
  14. land — a country
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. court — of a king
  17. file — a document
  18. tube — a container
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. land — ground
  21. court — of law
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mug — to rob
  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