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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: fall · hand · pop · tube · mark · bulb · rush · pitcher

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. tube — the underground
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. fall — the season
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — a trace
  17. tube — a container
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rush — hurry

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