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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wind — moving air
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — the underground
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. drill — army training
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a path
  24. track — to keep track

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