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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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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: march · dip · tube · net · bulb · game · swing · mine

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mine — for digging
  3. march — the month
  4. swing — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — the underground
  7. swing — in golf
  8. net — after costs
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bulb — for light
  13. march — music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — a match
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. net — for catching
  19. game — wild animals
  20. march — the month
  21. net — in sport
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mine — an explosive

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