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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tube — the underground
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. shower — to wash
  5. board — to get on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — rain
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tube — a container
  11. prune — to trim
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — the animal

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