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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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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 · ruler · staff · kid · cue · fork · cell · spell

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. spell — magic
  5. kid — child
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cell — in biology
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. spell — letters
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. cue — for pool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cue — a hint
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bulb — for light

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