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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bulb — for light
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. tube — a container
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fall — to drop
  10. root — of a plant
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — the season
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. prune — to trim
  18. fall — to drop
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. cell — in biology
  22. root — the cause
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. craft — boats

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