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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. mate — a partner
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — moving air
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rock — music
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tube — a container
  24. wound — an injury

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