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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. content — the amount
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. row — a line
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rush — hurry
  12. content — happy
  13. file — a line of people
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. file — a document
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. tube — a container
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. row — to paddle
  22. file — a tool
  23. bulb — for light
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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