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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: staff · bear · stick · cold · tube · wax · squash · bulb

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bear — the animal
  3. tube — a container
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. tube — the underground
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bulb — for light
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cold — an illness
  19. staff — a stick
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. bear — the animal

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