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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: straw · bulb · cap · press · mine · tube · rash · net

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — to push
  5. net — for catching
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. tube — a container
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rash — a series
  19. net — in sport
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — after costs
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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