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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: wind · net · rash · rule · pit · bulb · tube · track

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. net — in sport
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rash — hasty
  5. net — after costs
  6. track — a song
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — a series
  13. pit — in a race
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. track — a path
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. tube — the underground
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bulb — for light
  24. rash — on the skin

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