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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: tube · mine · toast · prune · bulb · bark · saw · game

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — to shout
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — to trim
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. tube — a container
  20. bulb — for light
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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