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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: rock · trunk · mine · rest · sharp · bay · kid · bulb

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. bulb — for light
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kid — child
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — a stone
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — a break
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rock — music

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