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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: bulb · squash · staff · hand · bear · kid · shower · racket

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — the sport
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. staff — employees
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — rain
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hand — help
  23. shower — to wash
  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