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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.

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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. can — to be able to
  3. land — a country
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. march — music
  6. tube — the underground
  7. can — a tin
  8. bank — of a river
  9. land — to come down
  10. bear — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — for money
  13. bat — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. march — the month
  18. spell — magic
  19. tube — a container
  20. land — ground
  21. spell — letters
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bank — for money

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