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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stock — goods
  3. foot — a measure
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. tube — a container
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — to rip
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lean — thin
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tear — from crying
  24. stock — shares

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