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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 · coach · ball · content · snap · board · stem · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bulb — for light
  3. content — the amount
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bulb — for light
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — happy
  13. snap — to click
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — to get on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. content — videos and posts

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