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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bulb — for light
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fine — all right
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. tube — a container
  13. track — a path
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — rain
  24. dip — a sauce

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