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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
468
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 · cell · march · ball · tube · leaves · hide · band

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. tube — a container
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bulb — for light
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. cell — in biology
  15. tube — the underground
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cell — a phone
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. ball — a dance
  23. band — a ring
  24. march — the month

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