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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: stand · chair · rash · cue · land · bulb · club · tear

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — a country
  3. cue — a hint
  4. stand — to bear
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. club — a group
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. land — to come down
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bulb — for light
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rash — hasty
  20. club — for golf
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rash — a series
  24. bulb — of a plant

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