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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. tube — a container
  3. tear — to rip
  4. row — a line
  5. tear — from crying
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — in sport
  10. stock — shares
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. stock — goods
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. current — of water
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. net — after costs
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. tube — the underground

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