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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. tube — the underground
  5. lie — to recline
  6. track — a song
  7. object — a thing
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fall — to drop
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fall — the season
  15. band — a ring
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kid — child
  20. track — a path
  21. tube — a container
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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