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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: lean · saw · bulb · tube · rash · snap · game · mate

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — a friend
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. mate — to breed
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bulb — for light
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tube — a container
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rash — hasty
  21. lean — thin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — a kind of play

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