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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: jam · tube · cap · straw · game · swing · bulb · pitcher

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. cap — a hat
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. game — a match
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — a container
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — the underground
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. swing — in golf
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — wild animals

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