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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. march — the month
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. court — for sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — the underground
  10. march — music
  11. band — a ring
  12. craft — a skill
  13. band — a music group
  14. can — a tin
  15. tear — to rip
  16. court — of a king
  17. can — to be able to
  18. march — the month
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of law
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. craft — boats
  24. tear — from crying

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