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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: court · stick · bulb · stem · fall · wound · can · bay

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bulb — for light
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. court — of a king
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. fall — the season
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. can — a tin
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. fall — to drop
  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