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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. stand — to bear
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a ring
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. tube — the underground
  10. degree — from a university
  11. tube — a container
  12. degree — an amount
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. ground — a position
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ground — crushed
  24. prune — to trim

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