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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 120 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lean — to bend
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lean — thin
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pound — a weight
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tube — a container
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bat — the animal

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