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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 116 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: present · shower · hide · bulb · cue · land · lean · mine

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. lean — thin
  8. present — the time now
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a hint
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. shower — to wash
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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