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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: calf · content · date · staff · shower · tube · game · bulb

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. tube — a container
  3. content — happy
  4. shower — rain
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — to wash
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. staff — employees
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. staff — employees
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bulb — for light
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. staff — a stick
  19. game — wild animals
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. game — a match
  23. bulb — for light
  24. tube — in a tire

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