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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: tube · wave · bulb · wound · rush · land · spell · kid

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — child
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — letters
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. land — to come down
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spell — a short time
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — a container
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spell — magic
  21. rush — hurry
  22. land — ground
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. land — a country

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