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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. bore — to tire
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. tube — a container
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. tube — the underground
  8. march — the month
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. march — music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. foot — a measure
  24. perch — the fish

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