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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: ball · ground · bat · stem · lean · mouse · rush · bulb

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bat — the animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. ground — a position
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stem — a stem cell

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