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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. spell — letters
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. tube — a container
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. kid — child
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spell — magic

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