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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 · bulb · tube · pound · pitcher · can · bass · last

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. last — final
  5. tube — the underground
  6. can — a tin
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. can — a tin
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bass — the fish
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bass — low music
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — to go on
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. last — finally
  24. wind — moving air

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