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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 116 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. tube — a container
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. net — in sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — to push
  15. press — a publisher
  16. net — for catching
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bulb — for light
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. lash — to lash out

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