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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. prune — to trim
  4. tube — a container
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — the season
  22. present — the time now
  23. file — a document
  24. tube — the underground

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