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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. key — for a lock
  6. tube — a container
  7. band — a music group
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — the underground
  10. spell — magic
  11. file — a tool
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a ring
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. file — a document
  18. spell — a short time
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spell — letters
  22. rush — hurry
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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