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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ground — a position
  3. spring — a coil
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. capital — a city
  6. plane — a tool
  7. dip — to sink
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — a container
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. tube — the underground
  16. spring — the season
  17. ground — crushed
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — of water
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ground — the earth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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