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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 116 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've got to change the light ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. degree — from a university
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — a container
  11. plane — a tool
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bulb — for light
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. march — the month
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. degree — temperature
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. march — the month

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