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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a list
  3. bulb — for light
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — thin
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bulb — for light
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. dip — to sink
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cap — a lid
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wound — an injury
  23. lean — to bend
  24. net — after costs

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