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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rule — a law
  3. rock — a stone
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rock — music
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rule — government
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. tube — a container

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