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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: mug · tube · fork · rush · clip · bulb · court · object

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. object — to protest
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. mug — a face
  10. clip — for paper
  11. tube — a container
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — to cut
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. clip — a video
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fork — in a road
  23. object — an aim
  24. tube — in a tire

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