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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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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: fall · current · bulb · tear · bat · tube · stand · pound

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — a container
  3. fall — the season
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tear — to rip
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. current — electric
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. current — happening now
  21. pound — a weight
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pound — to hit hard

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