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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. ground — a position
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — a break
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. rest — what's left
  15. field — farmland
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. field — a subject
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rock — music
  24. ground — crushed

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