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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 116 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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — to come down
  11. march — the month
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. lie — to recline
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — a container
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. land — ground
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. land — a country

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