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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. cold — not warm
  5. can — a tin
  6. bulb — for light
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — for light
  12. hand — help
  13. roll — a list
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bank — for money
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. can — to be able to
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cold — an illness
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. prune — to trim
  23. tube — a container
  24. prune — to trim

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