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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fall — the season
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bound — certain
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mug — to rob
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bound — tied together

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