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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
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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 · capital · tube · rush · patient · roll · bear · shower

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bulb — for light
  4. roll — a list
  5. bear — the animal
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bulb — for light
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bear — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — a city
  18. rush — hurry
  19. roll — a cake
  20. shower — rain
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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