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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rest — what's left
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rest — a break
  6. suit — to fit
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. scale — in music
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rest — what's left
  11. suit — in cards
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — a container
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mine — for digging
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — a video
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mine — an explosive

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