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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. root — the cause
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — to tire
  11. row — a line
  12. root — of a word
  13. tube — a container
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bulb — for light
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bass — low music
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. bass — the fish

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