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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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. tube — a container
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. fine — high quality
  8. rule — government
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lean — to bend
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. lean — thin
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. fine — all right

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