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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rush — hurry
  10. tube — a container
  11. bulb — for light
  12. object — an aim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chest — a box
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. object — to protest
  17. scale — in music
  18. object — a thing
  19. fine — high quality
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fine — all right
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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