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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: mouse · tube · root · file · bulb · branch · march · coach

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. march — the month
  3. branch — a division
  4. tube — the underground
  5. file — a document
  6. root — of a word
  7. tube — a container
  8. bulb — for light
  9. march — the month
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. file — a tool
  12. root — the cause
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bulb — for light
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. march — music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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