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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. tube — a container
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mate — a friend
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kick — a thrill

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