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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: chest · firm · can · stem · hand · file · bulb · ball

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. can — to be able to
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. hand — help
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. can — a tin
  8. file — a tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ball — a dance
  13. can — a tin
  14. bulb — for light
  15. firm — decided
  16. file — a document
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. file — a line of people
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. firm — steady
  24. chest — a box

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