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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: pitcher · march · bulb · mouse · cap · tube · ground · rush

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. march — the month
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — crushed
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. march — the month
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. tube — a container
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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