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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 120 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. race — a contest
  4. pound — a weight
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cell — a phone
  8. tube — a container
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bulb — for light
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. race — humankind
  20. tube — the underground
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cell — in biology
  23. snap — to click
  24. mark — a grade

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