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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. game — wild animals
  5. tube — the underground
  6. band — a music group
  7. club — a group
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — for golf
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tube — a container
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. game — a match
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — to grow
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for dancing

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