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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: sharp · bulb · land · deal · rock · march · chest · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. deal — to handle
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chest — a box
  6. tube — the underground
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rock — a stone
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. land — to come down
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. march — music
  14. rock — music
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. land — ground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. march — the month
  19. land — a country
  20. chest — of your body
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. chest — of your body
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. march — the month

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