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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 116 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: rock · bulb · face · band · tube · pit · tear · fan

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. bulb — for light
  3. band — a ring
  4. tear — to rip
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rock — music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. band — a music group
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. face — to confront
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. face — part of the head

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