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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — a container
  6. object — to protest
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pit — a hole
  11. bulb — for light
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a ring
  15. snap — to click
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. object — an aim
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. band — a music group
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pit — in a race
  24. object — a thing

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