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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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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: roll · bulb · nail · march · land · tube · sharp · coach

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. roll — a cake
  3. march — the month
  4. tube — a container
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. march — music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — the underground
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. march — the month
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — to come down
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. roll — a list
  18. bulb — for light
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — a country
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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