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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. band — a music group
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a document
  5. tube — a container
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. hand — in cards
  11. fork — in a road
  12. file — a line of people
  13. band — a ring
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. dip — to sink
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. dip — to dunk

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