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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bulb · tube · bank · rash · can · mug · cell · stick

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bank — of a river
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cell — in biology
  8. can — a tin
  9. cell — a phone
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bank — for money
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bulb — for light
  16. mug — a face
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — a series
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. tube — a container

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