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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. wake — a trail
  3. club — for dancing
  4. tube — a container
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. club — a group
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. club — for golf
  16. tube — the underground
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. spell — a short time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — child
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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