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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: bulb · rush · wind · pitcher · tube · bear · chest · season

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wind — moving air
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bulb — for light
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chest — a box
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — of the year
  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