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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. shower — rain
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. mug — a face
  11. mine — for digging
  12. club — a group
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pit — in a race
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pop — soda
  19. club — for golf
  20. tube — a container
  21. pit — a hole
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mug — to rob

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