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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cold — an illness
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. snap — to click
  15. fork — in a road
  16. ground — a position
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ground — crushed
  23. cold — not warm
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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