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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mark — a trace
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tube — the underground
  8. track — a path
  9. tube — a container
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. stock — goods
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. press — to push
  18. craft — boats
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. craft — a skill
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a handicraft

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