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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tube — the underground
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. shower — to wash
  12. toast — bread
  13. stem — to come from
  14. shower — rain
  15. rule — a law
  16. bank — for money
  17. tube — a container
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. rule — government
  20. scale — size or range
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. stem — 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