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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. toast — bread
  4. object — to protest
  5. kid — child
  6. craft — boats
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a skill
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tube — the underground
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. tube — a container
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. craft — a handicraft

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