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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. tube — the underground
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. board — a committee
  6. rule — a law
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. tube — a container
  14. pop — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. board — to get on
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pop — soda
  20. stem — to come from
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. chest — a box
  23. rule — government
  24. chest — of your body

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