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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 120 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bound — obliged
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bound — tied together
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. branch — a division
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bulb — for light
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tear — to rip
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. dip — to sink

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