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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: bear · ball · bulb · present · pop · land · stand · trunk

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ball — a dance
  3. land — ground
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pop — to visit
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. bulb — for light
  10. land — a country
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. present — the time now
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pop — soda
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pop — 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