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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: fork · bulb · mate · stem · club · can · ground · drill

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. club — a group
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ground — the earth
  11. club — for golf
  12. mate — a friend
  13. ground — crushed
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stem — to come from
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fork — in a road
  20. ground — a position
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. can — a tin

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