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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bulb — for light
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. band — a ring
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bat — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. band — a music group
  16. file — a line of people
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. perch — for a bird

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