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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. shower — to wash
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. tube — the underground
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. tube — a container
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mine — for digging
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cue — a signal
  20. shower — rain
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stem — to come from
  24. cue — a hint

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