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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. tube — a container
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. tube — the underground
  9. board — to get on
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — a committee
  18. bulb — for light

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