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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. firm — decided
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — a container
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — of water
  11. cap — of ice
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. tube — the underground
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cap — a hat
  19. spring — the season
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cap — a lid
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mine — belonging to me

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