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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 120 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: firm · lash · cell · fall · pit · bound · bat · bulb

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pit — in a race
  6. firm — decided
  7. cell — in biology
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. fall — to drop
  21. firm — steady
  22. bound — certain
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fall — the season

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