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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — a tool
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. band — a ring
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bulb — for light
  13. squash — to crush
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. tube — a container
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. cold — an illness
  23. lie — to recline
  24. band — a music group

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