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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: squash · kick · bulb · fan · stem · race · bat · foot

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. kick — in football
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bulb — for light
  8. race — humankind
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bat — the animal
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bulb — for light
  15. stem — to come from
  16. race — a contest
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. squash — to crush
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. race — the arms race
  22. foot — a measure
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bulb — of a plant

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