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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: spring · pit · mine · trunk · bulb · land · cell · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — in a race
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — a phone
  13. land — a country
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. mine — for digging
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pit — a hole
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. land — ground
  24. trunk — of a car

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