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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. spell — letters
  3. tube — a container
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spell — magic
  6. stock — goods
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. spell — a short time
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rest — a break
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tube — the underground
  15. mate — a friend
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — hurry
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. stock — shares
  23. mate — a partner
  24. rest — what's left

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