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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: bulb · track · tube · file · march · kid · root · arm

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. file — a line of people
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. root — of a word
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — child
  7. track — a song
  8. tube — a container
  9. file — a document
  10. file — a tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — the month
  13. track — a path
  14. root — the cause
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. march — music
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. march — the month
  24. root — of a plant

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