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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · jam · bulb · calf · content · lean · roll · prune

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to bend
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. prune — to trim
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. tube — a container
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. content — the amount
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. roll — a cake
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. roll — a list
  24. prune — to trim

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