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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making 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. bulb — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. current — electric
  6. bulb — for light
  7. field — a subject
  8. current — happening now
  9. field — farmland
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — army training
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. drill — a practice
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. current — of water
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. tube — a container
  23. bulb — for light
  24. racket — a loud noise

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