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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · tube · bank · chair · tear · bulb · game · perch

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. game — a match
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chair — a leader
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — of water
  14. bank — of a river
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bank — for money
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tube — a container
  20. bank — for money
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. perch — the fish
  24. tear — from crying

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