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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: foot · bulb · tube · shower · march · spring · cue · bound

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — a container
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spring — a coil
  9. foot — a measure
  10. march — the month
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cue — a signal
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bound — certain
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. shower — rain
  18. bound — obliged
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

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