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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — a coil
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. current — of water
  5. rest — a break
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. tube — the underground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — the season
  10. rest — what's left
  11. vault — a safe
  12. foot — a measure
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. current — happening now
  17. mine — for digging
  18. tube — a container
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. spring — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. leaves — of a tree

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