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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 116 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: wound · pit · fall · tube · spring · bulb · content · current

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. tube — in a tire
  2. content — the amount
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pit — in a race
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bulb — for light
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — a coil
  12. current — electric
  13. content — happy
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tube — a container
  16. current — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. current — happening now
  23. wound — an injury
  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