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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: chair · tube · foot · cap · saw · track · bulb · land

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. bulb — for light
  4. land — a country
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chair — a leader
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cap — a hat
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cap — a lid
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. track — a path
  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