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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. degree — an amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — from a university
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. degree — temperature
  13. branch — a division
  14. tube — the underground
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. racket — for tennis

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