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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: wake · tear · bulb · firm · nail · bound · tube · pop

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bound — obliged
  3. firm — decided
  4. bound — tied together
  5. tear — to rip
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — to visit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — steady
  15. tube — a container
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — soda
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pop — music
  22. bound — certain
  23. firm — a company
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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