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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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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: tear · kick · bulb · tube · root · wake · bay · band

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kick — in football
  4. bulb — for light
  5. tube — a container
  6. root — the cause
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. root — of a word
  11. band — a ring
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tear — from crying
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a music group
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kick — with a leg

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