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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 124 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tube — a container
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. current — electric
  9. band — a ring
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — happening now
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. current — of water
  16. band — a music group
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. spring — the season
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. tube — the underground
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bulb — of a plant

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