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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: bulb · season · stem · staff · mine · cue · jam · bowl

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bulb — for light
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. staff — employees
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. season — in sport
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — of the year
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. cue — a signal
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. staff — a stick
  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