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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: coach · wound · tube · staff · pitch · degree · key · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. staff — a stick
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wound — an injury
  5. degree — from a university
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. key — the most important part
  11. degree — an amount
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bulb — for light
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. staff — employees
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. key — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. bulb — for light
  24. degree — temperature

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