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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. drill — a practice
  5. tube — a container
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. perch — the fish
  19. can — a tin
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rash — a series

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