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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: bulb · bear · sharp · wake · prune · kid · drill · tube

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. drill — army training
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — a container
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. tube — the underground
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — a practice
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. wake — a trail
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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