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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: content · bulb · track · tube · pit · chest · bark · firm

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tube — a container
  5. firm — steady
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. firm — a company
  8. content — the amount
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. chest — a box
  12. bark — to shout
  13. firm — decided
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. content — happy
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. track — a path
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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