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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 116 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: cap · wound · bulb · tube · drill · row · lean · lie

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — a lid
  3. row — a line
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cap — a hat
  6. tube — the underground
  7. lean — thin
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. tube — a container
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — to bend
  21. drill — army training
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lie — an untruth

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