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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: bound · pitcher · kid · tube · degree · bulb · arm · plane

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. degree — from a university
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bulb — for light
  11. degree — an amount
  12. kid — child
  13. tube — a container
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. degree — temperature
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — the underground
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. plane — a tool

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