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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: bulb · clip · game · fork · tube · vault · spring · patient

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bulb — for light
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — for light
  10. tube — the underground
  11. clip — a video
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fork — in a road
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — of water
  21. vault — a safe
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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