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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 120 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: bulb · tube · fan · land · bound · foot · race · content

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — to come down
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — humankind
  6. content — the amount
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. bound — certain
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. tube — the underground
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — ground
  18. race — a contest
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bound — tied together
  23. content — happy
  24. race — the arms race

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