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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cap — a lid
  3. vault — a safe
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tube — a container
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cap — a hat
  16. band — a ring
  17. tube — the underground
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. band — a music group

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