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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bark — to shout
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tube — a container
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. snap — to click
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — low music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rock — a stone
  24. tube — the underground

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