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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. suit — to fit
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. present — the time now
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. suit — in cards
  8. present — a gift
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spring — the season
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spring — of water
  15. content — happy
  16. file — a line of people
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a document
  20. content — the amount
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — a coil
  23. file — a tool
  24. craft — a handicraft

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