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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. tube — a container
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. last — finally
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — a break
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bulb — for light

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