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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. spell — magic
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bank — for money
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. bank — for money
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — a short time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. spell — letters
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tear — to rip
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bank — of a river

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