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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 · patient · plane · cue · tube · coach · spring · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cue — a signal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cue — for pool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. cue — a hint
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. spring — of water
  14. bulb — for light
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tube — a container
  19. kid — child
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tube — the underground
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bulb — for light

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