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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. tube — a container
  4. land — ground
  5. file — a document
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. land — a country
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. tube — the underground
  11. file — a line of people
  12. land — to come down
  13. bore — to drill
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. file — a tool
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bark — to shout
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — a leader
  22. spring — of water
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chair — to sit on

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