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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tear — to rip
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. tube — a container
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — a subject
  12. craft — boats
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — low music
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — for sport
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lean — to bend
  21. craft — a skill
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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