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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: trunk · key · ground · bat · bulb · cold · saw · pitcher

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. key — the most important part
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. key — in music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. key — for a lock
  24. saw — the tool

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