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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: wound · game · can · mouse · rest · bulb · staff · bat

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bulb — for light
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. game — wild animals
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — a tin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. can — a tin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. staff — a stick
  16. game — a match
  17. wound — an injury
  18. can — to be able to
  19. rest — a break
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. game — a kind of play

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