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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: wind · bulb · chair · firm · craft · tube · roll · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bulb — for light
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. land — a country
  6. firm — steady
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. firm — a company
  10. roll — a cake
  11. tube — a container
  12. wind — moving air
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — to come down
  16. craft — boats
  17. firm — decided
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. tube — the underground
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a leader
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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