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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: dip · kick · game · rock · wound · bulb · stand · cell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cell — a phone
  6. kick — in football
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rock — music
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. dip — to sink
  19. game — wild animals
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. game — a match
  22. bulb — for light
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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