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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 · bowl · pass · mine · wake · land · cue · track

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. land — a country
  3. wake — a trail
  4. track — a path
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cue — for pool
  7. land — to come down
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cue — a signal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. land — ground
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. track — a song
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pass — to spend time

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