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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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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. object — to protest
  4. chair — a leader
  5. bulb — for light
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — a coil
  8. tube — the underground
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. spring — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — the fish
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — a thing
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. object — an aim
  20. spring — of water
  21. pass — a permit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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