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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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. cold — the Cold War
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. game — wild animals
  9. craft — boats
  10. cold — an illness
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. craft — a skill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — a match
  24. lash — an eyelash

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