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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a city
  3. wax — to grow
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. capital — money
  7. file — a tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. current — electric
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. current — of water
  20. file — a document
  21. tube — a container
  22. file — a line of people
  23. current — happening now
  24. bore — to drill

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