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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · chest · net · stem · kid · bulb · tube · rule

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — for catching
  3. kid — child
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. game — a match
  9. rule — government
  10. kid — to tease
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stem — to come from
  19. net — in sport
  20. rule — a law
  21. net — after costs
  22. chest — a box
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bulb — for light

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