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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: bulb · bowl · last · toast · firm · rash · tube · hand

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. firm — a company
  3. rash — hasty
  4. firm — decided
  5. hand — in cards
  6. firm — steady
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tube — a container
  10. last — finally
  11. toast — bread
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. last — to go on
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. hand — help
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. rash — a series
  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