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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: sharp · ground · bulb · drill · bear · tube · bank · roll

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bank — for money
  3. sharp — clever
  4. ground — the earth
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. drill — army training
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. tube — a container
  14. bank — of a river
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bank — for money
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ground — a position
  24. roll — a list

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