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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: present · bulb · bay · coach · cell · saw · race · wind

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. cell — a phone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. present — the time now
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. present — there
  14. wind — moving air
  15. race — humankind
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wind — moving air

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