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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — a container
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stem — to come from
  9. bore — to drill
  10. craft — boats
  11. row — to paddle
  12. rash — hasty
  13. pit — a hole
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. pit — in a race
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tube — the underground
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. squash — to crush

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