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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — help
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. drill — army training
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. hand — in cards
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. tube — the underground
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bulb — for light
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. lean — thin
  20. lean — to bend
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. date — on the calendar

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