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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 · cell · nail · date · sharp · roll · stem · game

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. roll — a list
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cell — a phone
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — for light
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. date — the fruit
  15. game — a match
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stem — to come from
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cell — in biology

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