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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. band — a music group
  3. tube — a container
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kick — in football
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bulb — for light
  10. field — for sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. rest — a break
  21. bat — the animal
  22. band — a ring
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tube — the underground

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