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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: rush · root · present · toast · date · bulb · pitcher · tube

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. bulb — for light
  5. toast — bread
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. present — a gift
  8. rush — hurry
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. date — the fruit
  16. root — of a plant
  17. present — the time now
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. tube — a container
  21. present — there
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — of a word
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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