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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. prune — to trim
  6. rock — music
  7. tube — a container
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a line
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rash — a series
  13. pop — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pop — soda
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rock — a stone

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