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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: mug · bulb · field · cabinet · cue · lash · spring · pitcher

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cue — for pool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spring — the season
  8. mug — to rob
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. field — a subject
  11. cue — a signal
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. field — farmland
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spring — of water
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mug — a face
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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