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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. season — of the year
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tube — a container
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bulb — for light
  22. season — in sport
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mine — belonging to me

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