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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. shower — rain
  3. row — a line
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rush — hurry
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. shower — to wash
  22. row — to paddle
  23. tube — a container
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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