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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: present · prune · file · bulb · toast · kid · patient · tube

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. present — there
  11. tube — a container
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. kid — to tease
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. tube — the underground
  19. present — the time now
  20. file — a tool
  21. prune — to trim
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bulb — for light
  24. toast — bread

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