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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. root — of a word
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. root — the cause
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. tube — a container
  17. clip — a video
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. clip — for paper
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rule — a law

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