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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: nail · bulb · pop · cue · tear · spring · pitcher · suit

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. cue — a signal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bulb — for light
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spring — of water
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — to rip
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cue — a hint
  13. suit — to fit
  14. spring — the season
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. suit — clothes
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pop — soda
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bulb — for light

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