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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: mine · cell · toast · fall · pitcher · foot · staff · bulb

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. bulb — for light
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mine — for digging
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. staff — a stick
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. fall — to drop
  17. cell — a phone
  18. toast — bread
  19. staff — employees
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fall — the season
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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