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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: suit · bat · fork · mine · can · bulb · stick · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. can — to be able to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mine — for digging
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. suit — clothes

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