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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wound — an injury
  5. tube — the underground
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rock — a stone
  10. capital — money
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. rock — music
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — army training
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. swing — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. capital — a city

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