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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 116 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 · race · cue · trunk · land · fan · file · mug

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mug — a face
  5. cue — for pool
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. land — a country
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. mug — to rob
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — a hint
  21. race — the arms race
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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