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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.

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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stock — shares
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bulb — for light
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stock — goods
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wind — to turn a key

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