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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: ground · spring · spell · bulb · toast · kid · sharp · trunk

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spell — magic
  12. kid — child
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spell — a short time
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spell — letters
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. sharp — clever
  22. ground — a position
  23. sharp — with an edge
  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