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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pop — soda
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. dip — to sink
  6. pop — music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. stock — goods
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spell — magic
  15. stock — shares
  16. squash — the sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bulb — for light
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spell — a short time
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — a container
  23. bulb — for light
  24. dip — to dunk

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