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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: bay · wave · bulb · cell · chest · march · fine · tube

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fine — all right
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. march — the month
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. tube — the underground
  12. march — music
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bulb — for light
  15. chest — a box
  16. cell — in biology
  17. tube — a container
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. march — the month
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bulb — for light

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