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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: snap · cap · trunk · pit · content · mate · tube · bulb

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. mate — a partner
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. content — the amount
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — happy
  15. tube — a container
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mate — a friend
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pit — in a race
  23. snap — to click
  24. cap — of ice

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