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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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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: pound · rock · bay · bulb · date · tube · cell · snap

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tube — a container
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. date — the fruit
  8. tube — the underground
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. cell — in biology
  14. snap — to click
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bulb — for light
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rock — music

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