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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. season — of the year
  7. file — a tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — an injury
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. season — in sport
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. file — a line of people
  16. tube — the underground
  17. kid — child
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. file — a document
  24. wound — an injury

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