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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 124 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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rash — a series
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. scale — size or range
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fork — in a road
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. rash — hasty
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — in music
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — of a plant

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