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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: roll · mine · present · trunk · cold · track · bulb · suit

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. suit — in cards
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. roll — a list
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. track — to keep track
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — a path
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bulb — for light
  18. track — a song
  19. suit — to fit
  20. present — the time now
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — there
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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