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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: chest · calf · pitcher · cell · cue · bulb · club · wound

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cue — a signal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chest — of your body
  11. club — a group
  12. wound — an injury
  13. club — for golf
  14. chest — a box
  15. club — for dancing
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cue — a hint
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. pitcher — a jug

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