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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · fan · bulb · tube · face · pitcher · leaves · file

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to confront
  4. file — a document
  5. spring — the season
  6. face — to point toward
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bulb — for light
  9. file — a tool
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tube — a container
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a line of people
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spring — of water
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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