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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: wave · rush · tube · cold · fall · branch · bulb · mug

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bulb — for light
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bulb — for light
  12. fall — the season
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cold — an illness

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