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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: land · spring · bulb · foot · cell · game · cabinet · lean

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. game — wild animals
  3. land — ground
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cell — in biology
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lean — to bend
  10. land — a country
  11. spring — the season
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. game — a match
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — thin
  21. cell — a phone
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. land — to come down

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