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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 · pop · tube · clip · racket · shower · board · mug

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. board — to get on
  3. mug — to rob
  4. clip — to cut
  5. tube — a container
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bulb — for light
  8. clip — for paper
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. mug — a face
  14. board — a committee
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. clip — a video
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pop — music
  22. shower — rain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bulb — of a plant

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