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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — electric
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. spring — of water
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. current — happening now
  15. drill — a practice
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. drill — army training
  22. bore — to drill
  23. current — of water
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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