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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. staff — employees
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. staff — employees
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. staff — a stick
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. shower — rain
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. mouse — for a computer

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