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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: spring · key · tube · snap · present · bulb · degree · bay

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. key — for a lock
  12. present — a gift
  13. degree — an amount
  14. tube — a container
  15. present — there
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. present — the time now
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. degree — temperature
  21. snap — to click
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spring — the season

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