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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  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 — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. snap — to click
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. field — for sport
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bank — of a river
  10. chair — a leader
  11. tube — the underground
  12. field — farmland
  13. current — electric
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. current — happening now
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — a tool
  21. current — of water
  22. field — a subject
  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