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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. degree — from a university
  4. spell — magic
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. track — a song
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — temperature
  11. track — a path
  12. tube — a container
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tube — the underground
  17. stand — to bear
  18. track — to keep track
  19. degree — an amount
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. spell — letters
  24. prune — to trim

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