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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 · track · squash · cell · mate · tube · bulb · bowl

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mate — a friend
  5. track — a path
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bulb — for light
  11. squash — to crush
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mate — to breed
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tube — a container
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tube — the underground

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