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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pop — to visit
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. tube — the underground
  7. track — a path
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. net — after costs
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. shower — rain
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tube — a container
  15. track — a song
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. net — in sport
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bore — to tire
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pop — soda
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  24. net — for catching

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