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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lean — to bend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. craft — a skill
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lean — thin
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. craft — boats
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. bulb — for light
  24. cabinet — ministers

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