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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. file — a document
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. file — a tool
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bore — to tire
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tube — the underground
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bark — to shout
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tube — a container
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. trunk — of a tree

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