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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: kick · rock · pass · scale · rash · tear · tube · bulb

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  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. tear — from crying
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rock — music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rash — hasty
  12. scale — in music
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. kick — in football
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pass — a permit
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. tube — a container
  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