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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tube — a container
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. band — a ring
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a music group
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bound — tied together
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tube — the underground
  20. bound — certain
  21. staff — employees
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wax — in the ear

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