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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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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: pass · mug · cold · nail · stick · trunk · arm · bulb

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cold — not warm
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — to rob
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. cold — an illness
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cold — the Cold War

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